FINAL PAPER FORMAT
(Journal Style)
Paper Size:
Margin:
Header:
Footer:
Title:
Authors’ Name:
Body:
US Letter
MS Word Layout Margin (Moderate)
Top and bottom: 2.54 cm Left and right: 1.91 cm
Title of Research
Times New Roman (TNR), left flush, 10 pt
Page X of Y
TNR, right flush, 10 pt
TNR, center, 14 pt
TNR, center, 11 pt
TNR, 12 pt
2 columns, spacing: 1.15
justified
Parts:
I. ABSTRACT:
II. INTRODUCTION:
summary of whole paper in 250 words or less
summary of background of study, statement of the problem,
significance, and scope and limitations (PART I. in proposal
paper)
III. METHODOLOY:
experimental and testing procedures (past, passive tense)
IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: explanation of the results of the experiment
V. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: include what can be improved in your
research
Example:
The Use of Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Fish Scales in Producing
Bioplastics
Anna Weronika Smigielska, Justine Sofia Tancao, Zeynep Sena Uzum, and Amy Kim
ABSTRACT
Plastics are made out of synthetic polymers and harmful chemicals which can be a threat
to the environment as it may take hundreds of years before it can fully decompose. Tilapia
(Oreochromis niloticus) fish scale bioplastic can be a great alternative to the plastics that are used
today. Tilapia is a very abundant fish in the Philippines. Its fish scales are composed of about 4060% collagen, which was used to make the bioplastic....
I. INTRODUCTION
Plastics are the third most used
petroleum derivative with more than 200
million tons consumed every year. They are
used for a variety of products such as making
clothes, houses, cars, toys, food packaging,
plastic bags, and many more. They are
largely produced and consumed due to their
durability, versatility, water resistance, and
because plastics are lightweight, easy, and
cheap to manufacture. Although plastics are
very useful in our everyday lives, they pose a
large threat to the environment. Because of
Page 1 of 5
its very long process of decomposing, the
plastic waste adds on yearly. They are
scattered around in streets, often blocking
pipes which eventually cause flooding. They
are stuck in landfills and are spreading into
the oceans where they harm marine
organisms — such as sea turtles or whales —
as they may accidentally ingest or choke on
plastic, or entangle themselves in it.
A study estimated that 5 trillion
plastic particles are floating in the world’s
oceans (Gourmelon, 2015). Another study
ranked the Philippines as the third top source
of plastic leaking into oceans (Jambeck et al.,
2015). The Philippines alone produces 2.7
million tons of plastic waste yearly and 20%
of it ends up in the ocean. Plastics also
contain harmful chemicals such as BPA
(Bisphenol A) and phthalates which can
contribute to cancer. It can also cause asthma
as it releases toxic fumes such as carbon
monoxide, dioxins, and furans when burned.
fibrous protein which is abundant in the skin,
tendon, cartilage and bones of animals. It is
one of the main components of fish scales,
which makes up about 40-60% of the scales.
A bioplastic is a great alternative to
the everyday plastics that we use as it is
biodegradable, hence, it can reduce plastic
waste and it won’t be harmful to the
environment. This research focuses on the
production of bioplastic from tilapia scales.
The tilapia scale bioplastic will be compared
to commercially available polyethylene
plastic based on their solubility in water,
tensile strength, and biodegradability.
By creating a bioplastic from fish
scales, another waste product, waste
materials in our landfills can be reduced. This
can also provide an environment-friendly
alternative to the plastic products necessary
for everyday activities.
Petroleum, used to produce plastic, is
a nonrenewable resource which is also nonbiodegradable – it takes hundreds of years
before a plastic can fully decompose.
A. Extracting
collagen)
This research aims to produce an
alternative,
a
biodegradable
plastic
(bioplastic) by using tilapia (Oreochromis
niloticus) fish scales. Tilapia is a freshwater
fish and is very abundant in the Philippines.
According to the Philippine Statistics
Authority (PSA), around 101,143 metric tons
of tilapia was produced locally in 2015.
Tilapia is also known as the “aquatic
chicken,” because it grows quickly and
breeds easily in captivity. Fish scales are
merely seen as a waste product and is thrown
away after being removed from the fish.
However, by extracting collagen — a
biopolymer found in tilapia fish scales, a
bioplastic can be produced. Collagen is a
Tilapia fish scales were collected at a
local market (Agora, San Juan). The fish
scales (120g) were washed and soaked in
distilled water for one hour to remove
impurities. The fish scales were then soaked
in an 800mL solution of 0.01MNaOH for 4
hours in order to remove non-collagenous
substances and to obtain higher yields. Next,
they were washed thoroughly with distilled
water for an hour. Demineralization was done
by soaking the fish scales in an 800mL
solution of 0.4 (v/v) HCl for 4 hours. The fish
scales were washed with distilled water to
neutralize the pH. The fish scales were mixed
with distilled water in the ratio of 1g scales:
1mL water. The mixture was heated at 70oC
II. METHODOLOGY
the
gelatin
(denatured
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for 1 ½ hours. The mixture was then filtered
with 2 layers of cheesecloth. The filtrate was
dried in a hot air oven at 50oC for 8 hours to
obtain the gelatin.
B. Producing the bioplastic
Glycerin and distilled water were
added to the gelatin in the ratio of (15g
gelatin: 3mL glycerin: 150mL water), and
stirred. It was strained with cheesecloth to
remove additional impurities. It was heated
until froth began to appear. It was then
removed from the heat and continuously
stirred. The excess froth was scooped out
with a spoon. The mixture was then poured
into a drying pan covered with wax paper and
was dried in the oven at 50oC for 1 hour and
then left to air dry for 2 days.
C. Testing
A commercial sample of plastic bag
(polyethylene plastic) was collected for
comparison. To test the solubility of the
plastics, each sample was cut into equal
squares (1cm x 1cm) and placed in beakers
containing 50 mL of distilled water. The
samples of the plastics were observed and
compared.
To test the tensile strength of the
plastics, each sample was cut into equal (1cm
x 3cm) sizes. Each sample was clamped at the
ends and weights were added on one end until
breaking point.
To test the biodegradability, the
bioplastic was cut into equal squares (2cm x
2cm) and then buried 2 inches deep in loam
soil. The plastic was left under the soil for a
week and then observed.
IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The Tilapia fish scales (120g) were
able to produce 15g of gelatin. This shows a
12.5% yield. The yield of the gelatin was
calculated using the formula:
%yield =
!"## %& '()"*+,
!"## %& -.+(- &+#/ #0")(#
𝑥 100
This expected yield is comparable to
other studies which were able to produce a
16% yield of gelatin (Zakaria et al., 2015).
The obtained gelatin (15g) was able to
produce 65g of the bioplastic.
Considering that tilapia scales are
already a waste material, generating 65g of a
usable product is a highly efficient recycling
method. The obtained tilapia fish scale
bioplastic product is colorless and translucent
as seen in figure 1 below, and it has similar
texture
to
commercially
available
polyethylene plastic.
Figure 1. Tilapia fish scale bioplastic product
Table 1.1 and 1.2 shows the solubility
test of the tilapia fish scale bioplastic
compared with commercially available
polyethylene plastic. From both trials it can
be observed that the tilapia fish scale
bioplastic can completely dissolve in distilled
water in about 20 minutes. The commercially
available polyethylene plastic however
showed no signs of being dissolved.
Table 1.1The solubility of the plastic
samples in distilled water for the 1st trial.
Observation
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Time
(minutes)
1½
4
7
16
20
Tilapia fish
scale
bioplastic
Starts to
break down
Turned
translucent
Became
transparent,
broke down
to 3 parts
Dissolved,
with small
particles
remaining
Completely
dissolved
Polyethylene
plastic
Does not
dissolve
Table 1.2 The solubility of the plastic
samples in distilled water for the 2nd trial.
Time
(minutes)
2
5
7
16
21 ½
Observation
Tilapia fish Polyethylene
scale
plastic
bioplastic
Starts to
break down
Does not
dissolve
Turned
translucent
did not break
Does not
down, still
dissolve
translucent
Break down
into 3 parts
Dissolved
with very
little particles
The solubility test was done to ensure
whether or not the bioplastic would be able to
hold liquid substances. The solubility test
result can be seen in two ways. It is soluble in
water therefore the application of the tilapia
fish scale bioplastic can be limited. On a
positive note, being soluble in water makes
the tilapia bioplastic more environmentfriendly especially to the marine animals that
usually become victims by entanglement to
plastics.
The tensile strength determines the
resistance of the sample to break under
tension. Table 2 below shows the breaking
point comparison of the tilapia scale
bioplastic and the commercially available
polyethylene plastic.
Table 2. The comparison of tensile strengths
of the plastic samples.
1.96 N
weights
Polyethylene Didn’t
plastic
break
Tilapia fish
scale
bioplastic
(1st trial)
Tilapia fish
scale
bioplastic
(2nd trial)
Didn’t
break
Didn’t
break
2.94 N
weights
Reached
breaking
point
Slight
tear
3.43 N
weights
—
Reached
breaking
point
Stretched, Reached
no tear
breaking
point
The test showed that the tilapia fish
scale bioplastic has a higher tensile strength
by 16.7% than the commercial sample. It is
therefore more durable to use as a container
than the commercially available polyethylene
plastic.
The biodegradability test was done to
ensure that the bioplastic is able to
decompose
Page 4 of 5
after a certain amount of time. The bioplastic
was able to fully decompose in one week
under the loam soil. This result shows that the
bioplastic is indeed more environmentally
friendly as compared to the commercially
used polyethylene plastics which take years
to decompose fully.
less soluble in water but still biodegradable,
so that it can have more applications.
V. CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
Choong C. (November 1, 2013) Fish Scales
as a Waste Product of the Aquaculture
Industry. A Tale of Fish Scale: Journey
from Waste to Resource. Retrieved on
November 28,
2016fromhttp://www.ntu.edu.sg/home/c
leochoong/Choong_Lab__TissueInspired_Engineering/News_and_event
s_files/v12n1%20(A%20Tale%20of%2
0Fish%20Scale).pdf
It was proven that the collagen
extracted from the Tilapia fish scales was
able to produce a bioplastic with comparable
texture to commercially available plastic. It
was shown that after soaking the sample in
distilled water, the bioplastic is soluble and,
therefore, cannot hold any liquid. According
to the results of the tensile strength test, the
tilapia fish scale bioplastic has a higher
breaking point of 3.43N and, therefore, a
higher tensile strength than the commercial
plastic bag with a breaking point of 2.94N. It
was also proven that the tilapia bioplastic can
decompose under the soil within 1 week,
which means that it is biodegradable.
For further studies, different fish
species may be used for further tests.
Additionally, a test for products of solubility
could be done to find out what products are
formed when the bioplastic dissolves. Also,
different
proportions
of
gelatin:
glycerin:water can be tested to create a plastic
with different consistencies. Further studies
can also probe how to make the bioplastic
V. REFERENCES
Branden, C., &Tooze, J.(1999). Introduction
to Protein Structure , 2nd edition. New
York: Garland Publishing.
Gil-Duran S., Arola D. & Ossa E.A. (March
2016) Effect of chemical composition
and microstructure on the mechanical
behavior of fish scales
from MegalopsAtlanticus.Journal of the
Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical
MaterialsVolume 56Pages 134–145.
Retrieved on November 28,
2016fromhttp://www.sciencedirect.com
/science/article/pii/S1751616115004464
Gill M. (August 2014) Bioplastic: A Better
Alternative to Plastics. Natural and
Social Sciences.Vol. 2 Issue 8.
Retrieved on November 28, 2016 from
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/dow
nload?doi=10.1.1.684.9671&rep=rep1&
type=pdf
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